Belt tightener



April I924. 1,491,008

j J. GOLDSTEIN BELT TIGHTENER Filed Nov. 28. 1921 Patented Apr. 22, 15224.

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JULIUS GOLDSTEIN, or CHICAGO, rumors.

BELT TIGHTENER.

Application filed November 28, 1921.

To (1U whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUs GoLnsTEIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in a Belt Tightener: and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the some, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates more particularly to an improved type of belt tightener adapted to coact with a belt to readily tighten of loosen the same by rotating a screw to cause movement of a pulley supporting bracket toward or away from the belt to be adjusted.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved belt tightener adapted to be supported on the floor beneath a sewing table and in a position to be conveniently accessible by an operator to cause a movable pulley carrying member to be adjusted by means of a rotatable screw to vary the tension on the pulley.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a belt tightener of simple, inexpensive and efiective construction wherein a hand wheel is conveniently located to permit easy access thereto to cause a pulley supporting bracket to move longitudinally on a rotatable screw operable by the hand wheel.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the belt tightener supported on the floor to coact with a driving belt arranged to drive a machine.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the belt tightener partly broken away and in section.

Figure 3 is an end View thereof.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary detail section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

As shown on drawings:

The reference numeral 1 indicates a sewing machine work table having mounted Serial No. 518,144.

supported on the floor below the table 1 in a convenient position to be readily accessible by a person seated at the table for operating the sewing machine 2. As illustrated in the drawings, the belt tightener comprises a stand or pedestal 11', the base 12 of which is adapted to be secured to the floor. Formed upon the upper end of the pedestal 11 is an I guide rail 13 having upright studs or arms 14 and 15 formed or rigidly secured on the opposite ends thereof. Journalled in the arms 14 and 15 are the plain cylindrical ends of a screw 16 adapted to be manually rotated by means of a hand wheel 17 engaged on one end of the screw member 16.

Slidably engaged on theguide rail 13 is the lower end of a bent bracket embracing a pair of parallel side walls 18 integrally connected at the bottom ends by a head 19 having a threaded opening therein to permit the screw 16 to project therethrough. The bracket head 19 is also provided with a T slot or groov 20 to permit the bracket to have slidable engagement with the guide rail 13. The two side walls 18 are reenforced by means of an integral back plate or wall 21. A pulley wheel 22 is rotatably supported on a stub shaft 23 between the upper ends of the bracket walls 18. As illustrated in Figure 1, the belt tightener pulley 22 is held in engagement with the driving belt 8 to permit the tension thereof to be varied.

The operation'is as follows:

The belt tightener is supported on the floor beneath the work table 1 in position to permit the pulley 22 to engage the driving belt 8. The belt tightener is so placed that an operator seated at the work table 1 using the sewing machine may conveniently reach down and grasp the hand wheel 17 and rotate the same to cause rotation of the screw 16 in the supporting arms 14 and 15. Rotation of the screw 16 causes the bracket 18 to travel longitudinally on the screw depend menses ing upon. the direction of rotation of the hand wheel. By advancing the bracket toward the driving belt 8, the pulley 22 acts to tighten the belt 8 when said adjustment is necessary. Rotation of the screw 16 in an opposite direction acts to cause the bracket and the pulley thereon to be retract ed or moved away from the belt 8 thereby loosening the same.

As above described, it will be noted that the screw 1.6 does not move longitudinally but is only permitted to rotate thereby al lowing the pulley bracket to travel longitu dinally with respect to the screw due to the. threaded engagement between the screw and bracket. With this arrangement the hand wheel is always located in the same position where it can readily be located by an operator without necessitating looking tor the hand wheel as is the case in belt tighteners now in use having longitudinally adjustable screw members.

I am aware that numerous details of con struction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

A belt tightener comprising a single vertical pedestal, a horizontal I guide rail supported thereon of greater length than the width of said pedestal, upwardly extending arms at each end of said guide rail, a screw having its ends journalled in said arms, a hand wheel on one end of said screw to permit the same to be rotated, a bracket and a pulley supported at the upper end thereof with its groove lying in vertical plane passing through said screw, said bracket having a threaded passage and a T groove therein to permit the bracket slidably to engage said I guide rail with the screw projecting through the threaded passage to permit longitudinal travel of the bracket on said screw when the hand wheel is operated, said bracket being inclined in the plane of the pulley and screw away from said hand wheel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JULIUS GOLDSTEIN. lVitnesses FRED E. PAnsLER, JAMns M. OBRIEN. 

